McCarthy and His "Witch Hunt" ---------------------> Joseph McCarthy - famous anti-Communist activist, also Republican Senator.
In order to be reelected McCarthy needed a winning issue that would bring up his reputation. So, he decided to sound the alarm about Communists in governments.
His Tactics :
1. Taking advantage of people's concerns about communism.
2. Making one unsupported accusation after another. (He was always careful to do his name-calling only in the Senate, in where he was protected from being possibly sued.
3. Charged that the Democratic Party was guilty of "20yrs of treason" for allowing Communist infiltration.
+=+=+=+=+ THESE TACTICS BECAME KNOWN AS MCCARTHYISM +=+=+=+=+=+ Causes:
Soviets established Communist regimes in Eastern Europe after WW2 successfully.
Soviets developed the atomic bomb faster than expected.
Korean War (ends).
Republicans gain politically
Effects:
Americans were forced to take loyalty oaths and undergo investigations.
Decline of activism by labor unions. (Afraid of being disloyal)
Many people hesitant to speak out on public issue (Fear of being accused...again.)
Anti-communism continues to drive US foreign policy.
The Republicans did little to stop McCarthy's attacks because they believed they would win the 1952 presidential election if the public saw them doing what they did.
Finally, in 1954, McCarthy made a HUGE mistake. He started to make accusations against the US Army, which resulted in a nationally televised Senate investigation. So the Senate condemned him for improper conduct of bullying harmless witnesses, which caused him to lose his majority of public support.
---------------------> Joseph McCarthy - famous anti-Communist activist, also Republican Senator.
- In order to be reelected McCarthy needed a winning issue that would bring up his reputation. So, he decided to sound the alarm about Communists in governments.
His Tactics :- 1. Taking advantage of people's concerns about communism.
- 2. Making one unsupported accusation after another. (He was always careful to do his name-calling only in the Senate, in where he was protected from being possibly sued.
- 3. Charged that the Democratic Party was guilty of "20yrs of treason" for allowing Communist infiltration.
+=+=+=+=+ THESE TACTICS BECAME KNOWN AS MCCARTHYISM +=+=+=+=+=+Causes:
Effects:
The Republicans did little to stop McCarthy's attacks because they believed they would win the 1952 presidential election if the public saw them doing what they did.
Finally, in 1954, McCarthy made a HUGE mistake. He started to make accusations against the US Army, which resulted in a nationally televised Senate investigation. So the Senate condemned him for improper conduct of bullying harmless witnesses, which caused him to lose his majority of public support.
Years later he died of alcoholism :(